Arkansas scientist, Dr. Margaret PittmanThe 20th Century opened a door for innovation in science and technology. Great minds steadily unlocked the mysteries of the world and made life better for countless people. One of those great minds was Arkansas research scientist Dr. Margaret Pittman, a woman whose research has helped save millions of lives. Pittman was born in Washington Grove in Northwest Arkansas in 1901. Her father, Dr. James Pittman, was a respected physician in Washingto...

A tribute to my long-time friend Willie MaeShe never wore a lacy cap. She never wore a ruffled white apron over a black uniform with matching shoes because she wasn’t a real maid. Instead, she wore dresses she had sewn herself from feed sacks and navy felt house shoes when her corns "got to botherin." She was a heavyset woman with a large lap and bosom to cradle my head and she always smelled of Faultless Starch. I thought it was the best smell in the world. Her name was Willie Mae. Sh...

2016 Graduation Section coming this SundayArea High School graduates will be represented in their own special section in The Courier this Sunday May 8. The 20-page section is sure to be a keepsake if you have a senior graduating this year. Extra copies of the section will be available at our office.

Veron Seay made the world a better placeVeron Seay was not a woman people will read about in the history books. She was not famous, but she was the kind of person that the world was better for having around. She was born Lois Veron Harris in 1927 in Ragtown, Texas, a small community of farmers just outside Paris. She had an older brother, Gaylon, who died when he was five, and a younger sister, LaFay. The family later moved further west to Wichita Falls when she was young in hopes o...

RussVegas runners, did we spot you?The RussVegas half marathon was, by all accounts a huge success. If you didn't win you can't blame the weather, it was perfect for a run through our fair city. Our photographers were out trying to capture as many faces as they could, so make a point to go to our photo gallery and see if we spotted you.

Man upset over soupNo soup for this guy. A Texas lawyer upset he wasn’t provided a cup of soup during a recent meal notified a restaurant owner he’ll sue if not reimbursed the $2.25 for the soup. Dwain Downing also is seeking $250 in attorney fees for the time spent drafting a letter sent to Benji Arslanovski, who operates Our Place Restaurant in the Fort Worth suburb of Mansfield. Downing said the soup was listed on the menu as part of a Saturday special. He sa...

Tom and Bettie - A Love StoryEarlier, I shared with you our grief at the death of our brother-in-law on Jan. 4. Later, I happened to tell his and my sister-in-law’s story to a few readers and to a group of neighbors. All agreed it was a remarkable one they believed many women would enjoy, so here it is in my column... Tom Bailey loved birthday celebrations – especially when he was the one doing the planning. In fact, this is how he first met Bettie, Freemon’s only sibling...

Best of Best ballots in and being tabulatedThanks to our readers who voted in our annual Best of Best - Readers Choice awards. Voting is closed and the ballots are being tabulated. Winners will be announced in a May 29th section in The Courier.

Poll: Dover gym worth keepingNearly 300 voted in our most recent online poll on the issue of what to do with the "old gym" at Dover. The school district has asked for community input so we asked couriernews.com viewers, What should be done with the gym? Here's what the votes said. 47% for restoring it as a community center or public use space and build a new gym. 29% replace, it would be too costly to restore. 24% restore to a functioning gym, it's an historic part of Dov...

News, notes and a good laughThe 2016 turkey season officially opened last Saturday morning, and hunters from every region of the state are in the woods looking for that “Old tom” to make their day. Although the late start to our season in Arkansas seems to have hunters at a disadvantage with the best part of the spring mating ritual almost concluded, there is still always a few birds who are still active. Turkey hunters are some of the best at adapting to tough condition...

Letter: Questions for Mosesso about CWD and politicsAs an avid deer hunter and enthusiast of all things wild here in the Natural State, the recent findings of CWD (Chronic Wasting Disease) positive elk and deer near Ponca concern me. I’ve Googled CWD more times than I care to count over the last few weeks. I’ve spoken with respected journalists who covered the disease. And I have a fair grasp on current research and methods of slowing the spread of CWD. Because of this knowledge, I take a quest...

Bobby Newman preferred ‘statesman’ over ‘politician’A commitment to God, country, and family for decades guided the path of one of the most well-liked South Arkansas legislators. Bobby Newman would serve portions of Union and Ouachita County for 30 years, ushering in important changes for the area. Bobby Gene Newman was born in 1926 in El Dorado at the height of the oil boom and the middle of three sons. His father, B. A. Newman, worked in the boiler room at the nearby Lion Oil refinery for 46 ...

Putting words in someone’s mouthI recently saw a silly cartoon that gave me an idea for this column. The first frame showed two siblings sitting on the floor amidst piles of torn paper. The second frame showed the older of the two with a comic bubble showing a lightbulb above his head. He then began sticking bits of paper in the younger one’s mouth, saying, “Chew! Chew! Swallow!” at the younger’s loud cry, the mother rushes in and asks,”WHAT’S going on here?” The older calml...

The ambitious life of Arkadelphia engineer GerigThe late nineteenth century and early twentieth century was a time of rapid construction in the United States. To build a modern nation, the country built railroads, harbors, dams, bridges, and roads. Some of these projects, from railroads in Arkansas to the Panama Canal, were built in part through the genius of one Arkansas engineer, William L. Gerig. William Lee Gerig was born in Boone County in central Missouri in 1866. His father was a Swi...

An early history of Henderson State UniversityIn the 1880s, Arkadelphia was an ambitious community looking to its future. And the city decided that its future lay in education. Ouachita Baptist College had opened in 1886 on the grounds of the former Arkansas School for the Blind with additional donations of land and money from the community. In the meantime, the decade-old Central Collegiate Institute was looking to move from its birthplace in Altus, situated between Russellville and Fort...

Cure for discouragementBecause we live in a fallen world, we have many opportunities for discouragement. Because we are a person of unclean lips among a people of unclean lips, we can find many reasons for angst. Because our natural heart is bent toward pride, we often fret over the knowledge that most everything in our life is out of our control. It seems that we are never far from despair either. Relationships go sour. We fail to get the job we want or the one we ...

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BY PASTOR STEVE ELLISON pastorsteve8800@gmailThe Courier Your Messenger For The River Valley

Win $50! Best of Best voting underwayThe Courier's long standing reader's choice contest, Best of Best is underway. Ballots are appearing in The Courier beginning this week and will run through mid-April. We've made the process more user friendly this year by breaking the ballot into two individual full-page ballots grouping complementary categories together. The best thing? You could win a $50 gift certificate to one of the Best of Best winners if your completed ballot is chosen...

Arkansas races prompt look at reformsLITTLE ROCK — After conservative outside groups spent big on a pair of Arkansas Supreme Court races with a barrage of attack ads and mailers, state lawmakers are measuring how much of an appetite there is for new campaign finance restrictions and ending the popular election of justices. The Senate Judiciary Committee's meeting this week will be the first test on whether there's a path forward for either of the proposed changes this year. It's ...

The sky is not falling for deer huntersJONESBORO — We’ve heard some disturbing news recently concerning the “outbreak” of chronic wasting disease (CWD) in our state with multiple deer testing positive for the disease. Should deer hunters be alarmed or is this something that we should ignore? The answer is neither. Chronic wasting disease is not new, as multiple states have been dealing with it for years. There is little known about the disease or condition and some would like you t...